


The Show Must Go On

by quietdetective



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: After the Apocalypse that wasn’t, Crowley Was Raphael Before He Fell (Good Omens), Crowley is Raphael, M/M, South Downs Cottage era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-05-16 12:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19318516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietdetective/pseuds/quietdetective
Summary: Angels and Demons descended and ascended in equal terms, ready to claim what they couldn’t that fateful Saturday morning.Aziraphale and Crowley knew they couldn’t beat them, but they weren’t going to go down without a fight.





	1. Chapter 1

The cruelest part was that they were ready for it. They had been ready for centuries when it finally happened. When heaven and hell descended on the two lovers in their embrace, ready to part them forever.

There was bloodshed and angry words, neither side understanding their refusal to choose either. They didn’t want either of them, but if they chose then the angels and demons would know who can punish who.

 

Crowley and Aziraphale refused to go without a fight, and that’s what did them in. Aziraphale being saved from a stab in the back by - a righteous Crowley, Aziraphale’s hellish anger that followed his lover’s last demonic breath. 

 

In the end, when the legions left, there was only a demon left standing where there wasn’t one before. He took his lover’s name and brushed it off, grabbing his wedding ring, and left. In his mind, the cruelest part was how they left his body, it didn’t disappear or turn into a puddle of anything, it was just empty now. Like it wasn’t a body that was taking care of for years and years. 


	2. Chapter 2

Crowley continued his work, slowly. Corrupting people and making use of his time with humans for creativity. The M25 was certainly inspiration. He would continue his lover’s work, for he knew the other wouldn’t be proud that he had fallen. He wouldn’t be happy his angel fell into the need for revenge. 

 

There was talk upstairs and down about a new angel. An angel people thought had been lost forever. He was one of the first, the healer, made right along side the Morningstar. He wouldn’t say where he was, how no matter who went to earth they couldn’t feel him. They knew he’d been around, in a sense. They saw his miracles over the years, the people who were healed despite all odds. Raphael was always a softy when it came to children. 

Raphael made the stars along side his brothers. He was proud of this, but he questioned too much for his brothers liking. He liked questions, as a healer he had to ask them. How was he to know what was wrong without them? That was one of the cruelest parts, making an integral part of himself the reason he fell.


	3. No-One But You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life was a hard thing, especially for an angel with no memory and a demon whose love caused them to fall.

                When Raphael returned, the angels were ready. None were certain what would happen when you killed a demon whose death was to protect another. That was never supposed to happen, for demons were vile creatures who didn’t care about anyone. Though, there were only two archangels who fell with the others, one was the leader of hell and the other only ever asked questions.

 

                Raphael was confused and mildly scared, trying to pull away from the angels who led him away from the spot he had fallen in, shushing his questions and finding him clothes that matched their business aesthetic better. While a toga was liberating, it was hardly proper wear in this day and age.

 

                 It was obvious to anyone who looked, the other angels were scared. Michael fretted about, keeping her eyes on her brother for such a long time as if terrified he’d leave again if she looked away. Gabriel was shaken but tried to keep the tremor out of his voice was he kept talking about heaven, and Her rules. The rules, which were meant to keep him from falling again. Uriel and Sandolphon kept their distance, not trusting the risen angel yet. After all, they were created to replace Samuel and Raphael.

 

                “You mustn’t ask questions Raphael, it is against the rules.”

 

                “You must keep away from the demons Raphael, they will try to tempt you away from Her light.”

 

                “You must follow the rules closely, Raphael. Don’t ask why. It’s because we care about you.”

 

* * *

 

               

                The demon Crowley walked into Hell as if it was old news. The demons scrambled and yelled. It was not the same Crowley which had left, for this one was not built like a snake given a human body. He was solid and radiated more demonic energy than the other had ever. If given an animal like the last, he’d be much like an alley cat. Stalking through Hell, he commanded some level of respect that really was only ever given to Beelzebub or Lucifer himself.

 

                After attending a meeting with Beelzebub and Dagon, with his demands neatly put together and organized, Crowley walked away with much of the same privileges he was given up above. It helped that they had all seen what he could do when he meant business.

 

                               

                Returning to a life without his love was difficult, for storming Hell and falling had occupied his time for a couple years after the fateful event. He dusted his shop off, for even he didn’t really enjoy three inches of dust covering everything. Crowley went to the apartment in Mayfair, retrieving the plants that were too scared to die and the Bentley. He’d take care of them, for the body had vanished before a proper burial was given. Crowley was worried about that.

 

                Soon, an angel and demon began to live their lives again, though was it really living? One was trapped under the strict order of Heaven while questions were forbidden, and one was mourning for another who they believed couldn’t love them.


	4. Chapter 4

Love was fickle at the best of times. There were many times you could look at someone and assume that they could and would never love you back. Perhaps it was due to your appearance, maybe it was the vibe the other gave off, maybe you admired the other person so much you didn’t see how anything between the two of you could ever work out. That was a major problem for anyone longing for love, the expectation and feelings behind the whole affair usually scared them off.

 

Raphael walked through heaven with purpose, trying to keep the other Archangels off his back for now. He loved his siblings but after not seeing them for thousands of years all the sibling love coming off them was quite overwhelming. A cynical part of his brain wondered if they would act the same if they met him while he was still in his demonic form. He was quite good at thinking of the worst you see, it came with being a demon, despite not remembering those millennia.

 

When one walked, you could wander or have a destination. Raphael was wandering, having no real place he had to end up, only knowing he had to continue to go straight. You could walk with purpose despite not knowing what that purpose was, and Raphael was of the mind that no matter what, you mattered. All your decisions and thoughts and feelings mattered in the grand scheme of things, no matter how small a part you might play. It was odd however, to have others watch him with fascination and with admiring eyes rather than shying away or mocking, he was one of the original angels after all. His brothers and sisters rarely enjoyed his company before his memory went blank, distracting him by the stars and gases, what things he could create with just a few molecules and how to change them into something more.  

 

A push and pull, that’s what Raphael’s mind was. It was being pushed into memories he couldn’t remember, flashes of blue and black, warmth and love, only to be pulled back by the other archangels. Back into Her light, they claimed, they reassured him that they only wanted what was best for the newly found angel. When you love someone so much, you can rationalize your behavior, explain to anyone how much you love them and that what you are doing is for their own good.

 

Sometimes what people think is best for you is actually the worse thing they could possibly do.

 

* * *

 

Crowley went about his business as usual, at least to a glance of one who didn’t know him. His actions were precise and thought out, lacking the usual originality of sinning and damning, the mass-produced quality noticeably absent. He was everything Hell wanted, and thus there was no one to question it.

 

The days spent wandering and taking his dear friend out for food were long gone, the simple pleasures of human life lost. What was the point of it all when there was no one to enjoy it with? Those years together spoiled them both, perhaps made them weaker to their threats. Maybe if Aziraphale hadn't been so weak he could've protected Crowley like he had promised he would. Maybe if he'd been better he would've seen the blade before it impaled his love. 

 

He could, would, never guess why his love did this to him. He thought Crowley loved him with the same passion Aziraphale felt for him, how could he damn him to an existence where only one of them survived? How could he do this? Wasn't Crowley the one who promised forever?


End file.
